[VIDEO PICK] A Dutch Cup match between first-place AZ, featuring Jozy Altidore, and host Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA was abandoned on Wednesday when AZ coach Gertjan Verbeek pulled his team off the field in the 36th minute after the referee red carded Costa Rican goalie Esteban Alvarado, who had been attacked by a fan but then kicked him twice when he was on the ground.

The 19-year-old fan had been drinking and ran on the field and approached Alvarado.

"I understand that Esteban was defending himself," said Referee Bas Nijhuis, "but he walked to [the fan] and kicked him multiple times. He could also have walked away."

Ajax, which was leading 1-0 on a goal by defender Gregory van der Wiel, apologized for the security breach and banned the fan for life.

The video has been deleted on almost every youtube site, already.
The action begins while the ball is with the other keeper. A shaved-head sparky comes dodging on the field from behind the AZ keeper, and, though it is hard to see exactly what the fan did to the keeper, it is replayed from close up what the keeper did to the infiltrating idiot. He apparently jumps up in his own defense, in a judo/karate kick à la deJong, and nails the guy. He falls, and continues squirming around, the keeper goes on to kick the 'fan[atic]' shaved-head dude in what appears to be only his gluteous maximus (butt) twice.
The ref considers this, apparently, outrageous, and red cards THE KEEPER!!! amazing. So amazing that the Coach for AZ calls his team together, almost immediately, and escorts them all off the field [obviously in protest - he wags his finger disgustedly at the ref].
My opinion: Coach, you rock! AZ keeper, well, heat of the moment act, though I probably would have done much worse damage to the idiot; 'shaved-head' dude [and you know who you are], you being banned for life is not enough. Obviously your friends will defend you, since your friends are probably of the same ilk. Enjoy life, just stay away from other people who aren't of your ilk. Go ahead and beat each other up, and leave us alone.

Mark Grody

commented on: December 22, 2011 at 12:28 p.m.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNb0wO5z1Q
currently up

Leland Price

commented on: December 22, 2011 at 1:01 p.m.

Good for this coach. He did the right thing. I threatened to take my team off the field this year when I had two goalies injured in succession by opposing players who flew into them with cleats up. When the inexperienced referee did nothing, I threatened to pull my team off the field and I would do it again to protect my players.

Gil Ramirez

commented on: December 22, 2011 at 5:42 p.m.

I will defend the referee then. He did the right thing. A professional player should not react with violence to a fan, even when the dude was crazy/drunk and violent. The field is freaking large to run away after seeing the guy down. The AZ coach did the right thing and pulled his players off. If anything, the ref should have waited until fan was cleared, talk to the keeper and then show the red.